This summer we installed a Little Free Library in front of our house. Our friend Dave Burnett built the box and rigged up the mounting for the post we had to put in the ground. As I was preparing to paint it my husband George suggested that I paint cactus on it instead of flowers as I had planned. That evening the light bulb went off in my head! The sides of the library were the perfect place to paint the saguaro quilt design I had just done for my friend Lynda who owns The Quilter's Market.

There is an annual event for quilters called Piece by Piece. Shops from all over the United States design squares for quilts. This year's theme is Home Sweet Home, and Lynda asked me to design something with a saguaro. Quilters from all over buy the quilt squares that they like and piece together a quilt, but the catch is this; they have to buy the squares in person. It is like a scavenger hunt, and for quilters who travel it is a quite a quest.

So, here I had this wooden cabinet to paint, and the saguaro would fit perfectly! The little library was a labor of love for our neighborhood that George and I enjoy so much (except for the constant yard work!) I spent about 20 hours working on it, and once is was installed we had a grand opening with balloons, refreshments, and giveaways. Our library became official when we registered it with LittleFreeLibrary.org and were given the number 42,847! Talk about a simple idea that spread across the world. Like they say, "If you build it, they will come". Our little library began to fill up even before we could put books in it ourselves! I try to keep the library dusted out, and regularly put in a treat for the kids. Dum Dum suckers that say, "Don't be a dum-dum, READ!"

I hope that our little library can be a pleasure for adults and kids, and it is my plan to have events during the year to promote reading and community. I am told that some people like to check out libraries in other towns or even locally. So next time you need an outing for your kids or grandkids, consider doing a library hop. It will lead you all over town. You can check out a map with other library locations at LittleFreeLibrary.org.